PatsBlog: A Patriots Blog

A few quick thoughts and runthrough:

1. Overall, a pretty soft schedule.  If you go by strength of schedule (opponents 2007 record), the Patriots have the easiest schedule in the league at a .387 strength of schedule.
2. Patriots get an easy start and should be able to break the consecutive wins during the regular season streak.  They open with the Chiefs, followed by the Jets, then the Dolphins, and then the 49ers.  If the Pats won all four, they would have twenty-two straight.  Overall, following the devastation of the Super Bowl, I think it’s great that the season begins with a soft four games.
3. The scheduling of the bye week didn’t exactly turn out well for the Patriots.  Week four is the earliest possible time for a bye, and that’s when the Pats got it.  Everyone wants a week 9 bye, but anything around the middle of the season is generally preferred.  Plus, with an aging team, a later bye is preferred.
4. The Patriots first big test will be in week 6 AT the Chargers.  This will be no easy contest, but if the Patriots do win, they should be able to roll through a Monday Night home contest against the Broncos and another home contest against the Rams.
5. Week 9 2007 = SB 41.5… Week 9 2008 = SB 42.5.  That’s right, for the second straight year, the Patriots will be traveling to Indianapolis to face the Colts at the midpoint in the season.  Clearly, this will be the toughest regular season game of the year.  If the Patriots win, they may be poised to make another run at undefeated.
6. Following the Colts game, the Patriots should be able to roll through the middle of November with games versus the Bills and Jets and a game in Miami.  Three divisional games that should translate into wins.  The Jets game is a Thursday night game, which means the Patriots will only have three days to prepare following the Bills game.
7. The Patriots will once again face the Patriots near the tail end of the season.  If the Pats are 11-0, it will essentially be a rematch of last year’s game (which resulted in a 34-13 victory for the Patriots).
8. Following that game is another tough one, as the Patriots will face off against Seattle.  This could very well be the toughest game of the season, or at least the grittiest one.  The elements will be tough, and the Patriots will be traveling.
9. Week 15 will the reunion of Randy Moss and Oakland.  Obviously, media outlets are making a big deal of it.  I’m not.  I’m more interested in a week 17 matchup in Buffalo that could mean… well you know…
10. Although the Patriots’ schedule doesn’t seem too hard on the outside, the big x-factor will be the travel.  During the season, the Patriots will make four trips out west, and it wil be interesting to see how the players handle the trips.

I wrote a post about 15 minutes ago, and there’s already twenty comments.  Comments I expected.  I also wanted to be more clear about my thoughts.  

This was a great game.  I want to say the better team lost, but I can’t say that, because that would discredit Super Bowl XXXVI. 

The Giants defense is unstoppable.  Their front four is unforgiving.  With Stephen Neal injured, they penetrated the A gap, while Strahan blew by Kazcur play after play.

There were also a couple of things that bugged me from the Patriots side.  First, Tom Brady was off.  I’m not sure if the pressure got to him, or if he just got too overconfident… but he played a bad game.  Another was the 4th down attempt on 4th and 13, when we were in reasonable field goal range.  Horrible call.  The last was the final 30 seconds.  What were we doing chucking the ball deep?  The Pats had three timeouts, and should have worked the middle of the field, tried long, then worked the middle again.  

I just have to wonder what’s going to happen to this team?  Will Bruschi, Seau, Brown, and others retire?  Will Bill Belichick quit? Most importantly, will this team have what it takes to rebound from a loss this detrimental?  It’s going to be an interesting couple of months. 

I’m looking at needs, and I see a few major holes.  Right tackle, cornerback (even if Asante stays we need a more physical one), and linebacker.  Maybe the Patriots could make a run for Ocho Cinco (hey, you never know). Lastly, I wanted to congratulate the Patriots.  Of course I’m pissed off. But the team was great, and they deserve some credit even if they couldn’t cap off 19-0.  

Go Pats! 

It was a good game, the Giants are a good game, and I respect that.

 That’s all I’m saying.

Hell is coming.  Not only from the media, but from within the organization.

This is it. The Superbowl is here.  19-0?  Perfection?  Immortality?  All on the line.  We’ve been saying it for months, and now we’re finally here.

Keys to the Game:

Apply Pressure to Eli Manning - Use Vrabel in stunts, line him up on the outside.  The key is to just get Eli outside the pocket, where he consistently struggles.

Slow Down Brandon Jacobs Early - Make the Giants one dimensional.  Force Eli to step up, he won’t be able to handle it.

Protect Tom Brady - We have to slow down the Giants front four.  They have Tuck, Strahan, Umenyiora.  Look for a lot of Kevin Faulk in passing situations (he is a great protection guy).

Get Maroney Going - Run, run, run the ball.  Get the Giants tired, and open the air for Tom Brady.

Greg’s Prediction: Patriots 38 - Giants 13

 LETS GO PATRIOTS!!!

Unbelievable!  The Patriots are headed back to the Superbowl.

What a season it’s been.  From Spygate to Perfection, nothing from this year will ever be forgotten.

Overall, the Patriots played a really solid game yesterday.  Of course, people are going to read into stories about Tom Brady’s poor performance… but it doesn’t matter, we’re going to Arizona!

 Defensively, this was the team’s best performance of the year.  When used, the blitz worked effectively.  In fact, a Mike Vrabel blitz is what caused the Asante Samuel interception.  The run defense was also solid.  For the majority of the game, they held Michael Turner in check.  However, most important, was the Patriots lock-down red zone defense.  Key stat… field goals: 4, touchdowns: zero…

Offensively, Brady struggled.  From the getgo, passes were getting away from him.  The Jammer interception, he let the ball float to long.  The second interception was a bad pass, but Donte could have gotten it.  The Cromartie interception was just a bad read (not like I could do better).  And obviously… Laurence Maroney was fantastic.  Although he didn’t pick up big yards in the first half, he made the most of what he was given.  And when the Patriots started  using 3 tight end sets in the 3rd and 4th quarters, Maroney took full advantage, having yet another good game.

 I feel like I’m forgetting someone…  hmm….  I feel like everybody forgets this guy… Oh yeah, Kevin Faulk.  The New Mr. Reliable (sorry Troy).  Every year, every game, he shows up when needed, and he rarely Faulks things up (I’ve always wanted to say that on this site, so there you go).

It’s going to be a fun couple of weeks… stay tuned!

Finally, the Patriots are back in the AFC Championship game.  One year ago, we saw the team collapse in the second half, as the team blew an early 18 point lead.  But things are different now.The Patriots went out and improved themselves in every facet of the game.  They made pickups defensively (Adalius Thomas and Brandon Meriweather) and even more offensively, (Wes Welker, Randy Moss, Donte Stallworth, Kyle Brady).  The team was hyped from the beginning… if Tom Brady led the team to the AFC Championship with Big Eyes as their go-to guy, what could he do with a top end receiving corps? Lead the team to a 16-0 regular season and 50 touchdowns.But the undefeated record no longer means anything.  Right now, the Patriots are back to 0-0.  A loss means a losing season, but a win brings the Patriots their sixth all-time Super Bowl birth.All is on the line.  For some guys, like Tedy Bruschi and Troy Brown, it will be their last chance at another Super Bowl.  Others, like Wes Welker and Laurence Maroney have a long road ahead.All that stands between the Patriots and the Super Bowl is sixty minutes of football.  I can’t wait!Greg’s Prediction: Patriots 34 Chargers 17The score will be a lot closer than it should be.  The Patriots will essentially blow away the Chargers.If Rivers plays, he will struggle, throw 1 td with 3 ints.  LT, should he play, will have some effectiveness, but overall, he will be shut down.  His stats will be something like 20 carries for 77 yards..On the Patriots side of the ball, Randy Moss will explode for a huge game.  My prediction is that he will lay his aggression for this weeks game out on the field.On defense, Mike Vrabel will tear it up.  Why? Because I’m wearing his jersey to the game.GO PATS! 

Tonight, the Jacksonville Jaguars head to Foxborough to take on the undefeated New England Patriots.  The Jags barely outlasted Pittsburgh last week, despite holding the lead for most of the game.

 The Patriots are 12-2 in the playoffs under Bill Belichick, and look to move to 13-2, which would advance them to the AFC championship against the Chargers or the Colts.

I haven’t exactly been writing this off, but I haven’t been worried that the season is going to come to a close.  However, it could.  The Jaguars are on a roll, and a few breaks for them, and there’s a chance they could come out on top.  The scary thing is, our offseason could begin tomorrow.

For the Jaguars, John Henderson is probable, and should play.  If the Jags get a good push up front, the could give Brady some problems.  Don’t be surprised if Maroney gets around 20 carries tonight, just trying to keep the Jaguars honest.

The other problem looks to be the Jaguars running game.  Everybody knows they have the big 3 (Taylor, Jones, and Jones-Drew), and everyone knows the Patriots defense is aging.  However, I think the Patriots are going to come out and stuff the run.  Fred Taylor will have about 30 yards on 10 carries, and Jones-Drew about 28 yards on 9 carries (which will include about a 15 yard run).  Garrard will break down a little, throwing 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.

The Jags may take an early lead, but the Patriots will take it back and stretch it to 2-3 scores.  The Jags might get a late touchdown, but it will be too little to late.

Greg’s Prediction: Patriots 34 Jaguars 24

The Patriots are 16-0!  We’ve been saying it all along, Pats fans before the season, and NFL fans after week one (before the videotaping incident). I usually don’t do recaps, but I thought I’d try it out: I think the big reason why the Giants surprised the Patriots last night is because the Patriots weren’t expecting an aggressive aerial attack, let alone an agressive game.  They knew they would have to stuff a Giant’s run attack led by Brandon Jacobs, but they weren’t expecting Eli Manning to chuck the ball deep on the opening series.  However, after that, the Patriots were able to respond well.Several minutes after a Gostkowski field goal, the Pats marched down the field for a touchdown in a very methodical drive based upon the passing game.  Although Randy Moss gave us a quick scare, he was back, and scored a touchdown, to give the Patriots the lead. The Patriots were immediatley stunned however, as Hixon returned a kick for a touchdown to make it 14-10 Giants.  The Patriots were able to regain the lead late in the half, when Gostkowski booted his 3rd field goal of the night.  However, Eli Manning constructed a beautiful two minute drive, throwing his 2nd touchdown, giving the Giants a 21-16 lead.The second half did not start well for the Patriots.  A quick three and out, and the Giants regained possession.  Another quick score, and the Patriots were facing their biggest deficit of the year, 28-16.Tom Brady and the Patriots wouldn’t be phased.  Late in the 3rd, the Patriots drove down the field for a touchdown, capped off by a Laurence Maroney 6 yard plunge.  Although the stats didn’t show it (19 carries, 46 yards, 2 touchdowns), Laurence Maroney run particularly well.  He was hitting the hole hard, breaking tackles, and driving his legs.  The Maroney touchdown put the Patriots right back in the game.For the next few minutes, the ball went back and forth between the Giants and the Patriots.  However, a particularly sloppy Giants drive gave the Patriots the ball back with a five point deficit.  The Patriots took advantage of the situation.  Although an initial play action bomb to Randy Moss didn’t work out (behind Moss, but it should have been caught), the Patriots went for another bomb the next play.  This time, the play was a success, as the Patriots took the lead 31-28.With the touchdown throw, Tom Brady became the first member of the fifty touchdown club, breaking Peyton Manning’s single season touchdown mark of 49 in the process.  With 23 touchdowns on the season, Randy Moss broke Jerry Rice’s record of 22 touchdown catches in a season.The next drive, the Giants struggle’s continued.  Thanks to a great read by Rodney Harrison, Ellis Hobbs was able to intercept an Eli Manning pass with an amazing grab (for a corner).  The pick gave the Patriots the ball in excellent field position.  They took advantage, as Laurence Maroney found the endzone for the second time in the game. Although the Giants made their way down the field for another touchdown, a failed onsides kick gave the Patriots the ball and the win, 38-35.Believe me, undefeated is great.  I couldn’t be more excited, but there is still a long way to go.  The undefeated title will mean nothing if the Patriots don’t win the Superbowl.  If the Patriots don’t win the Superbowl, then you can have the asterisk.

Teams that went undefeated:2007 Patriots*1972 Dolphins1942 Bears**Did not win Superbowl

Winning the Superbowl is more important than ever.  No pressure, Pats!

Another game, another win.  Overall, it was the Patriot’s poorest offensive performance of the year, which may have been due to the horrible weather (and it didn’t even snow!).  Defensively, it was the team’s best game of the year, with a particularly good game from Richard Seymour, who looked to be back in his old form.  Offensively, it was also nice to see Maroney get going, as he recorded a career high in carries as well as his third career 100 yard rushing game.

With the win, the Patriots wrapped up the AFC.  So what does that mean?  Will Belichick rest the starters?  With Miami coming up, I don’t see why not.  However, it is crucial to consider that Belichick is an arrogant person, and he may actually want the title of being undefeated.

However, with only two weeks to go, all I can think about it playoffs.

After a tight win over the Ravens yesterday, it’s obvious that the Patriots are horrible.  They should be underdogs to the Steelers next week, there is no way they will win.  The undefeated streak is over.  The Patriots are tired and worn out.  There is an easy blueprint to beating them.  The Patriots only won because of bad calls.

Although the Patriots were able to win yesterday, this was the headline of every media outlet across the country.  And I have to say, I am extremely ticked off.  I’m looking at their record, and I see no losses.  All season I have been saying the game we might lose could be the Steelers, but nothing has changed since yesterday.

Yes, the Patriots were outplayed.  However, the better team won the game, and the final score is the only thing that matters.  For everyone who believes the refs made bad calls, and that’s why the Patriots won; sit down, and shut up :).  Stop whining.  The Patriots won the game, and although some of the calls were unfortunate to the Ravens, they were not bad calls.

On the fourth and one, the Ravens called a timeout.  And although it didn’t get to the players on time, it still counts.  If Tom Brady wasn’t “stopped,” and the Patriots then didn’t convert, the timeout would be getting praised.  Then, the false start the next snap, was a false start, not a cheap call.  In case you didn’t notice, the only reason Evans was “stopped,” was because Neal moved off the line, opening up a gap.  Then, two series later, the defensive holding on fourth and five was totally legit.  Yeah, pulling the receiver down, that’s nothing.  The refs didn’t screw this game up, and fans/players alike shouldn’t complain about bad calls that didn’t even exist.

Next, I want to touch on the Monday Night Football telecast.  After Baltimore scored one touchdown, Cornheiser and Jaws wouldn’t stop talking about how the Patriots were going to be beaten.  And on top of that, they wouldn’t stop talking about how the Patriots might go undefeated.  Too much!  I got so tired of hearing Jaws’ random “analysis” and “breakdowns” that I literally turned on mute for about half an hour.  Since ESPN has been making such a big deal about their Monday night telecasts, you’d think they could make a more interesting telecast (some more varied content), although I did enjoy the Shula segment (despite what he said).

 Lastly, I wanted to touch on a few things from the actual game.  First, I didn’t like our pass protection.  Light was constantly getting burned off the line, and the empty shotgun sets just weren’t working.  Secondly, the linebackers seemed to be getting worn out.  Usually, the Patriots are leading by a great enough margin that teams are forced to work through the air.  Last night, however, things were tight, and McGahee just kept pounding the ball out.  However, when it mattered most, the defense did step it up (all Ravens 4th quarter drives).  Lastly, don’t take anything into the offense’s poor performance.  Winds were gusting up to 50 MPH, which took away the majority of the deep game from the Patriots.  And, the Ravens defense is still pretty darn good, despite the fact that they had been struggling slightly in a few prior weeks.

Overall, a win is a win.  Next week, the Patriots will go up against the Steelers.  With a Patriots win, and a Colts loss, they can clinch first seed.